These days I find myself eating less and less meat.
Not because I have some ideological aversion to eating meat but because it’s generally unhealthy and expensive during these inflationary times. It’s also hard to get quality, healthy meats compared to run of the mill vegetable proteins like legumes and eggs.
Most vegetarians have a strong ideological component to choosing not to eat meat. I’m not one of them – I don’t get upset about eating meat, I don’t have mythical views of forest or the farm. In the real world animals die, often in really unpleasant ways. I like bacon, as a special treat but it’s not a daily thing for me.
A lot of people eat much more meat then I do. But I worry a lot about the high levels of saturated fats that are part of a meat rich diet. Omega 6 fatty acids are particularly bad for the body. A combination of alternative proteins like beans and lentils combined with rice can get you most of the way with complete proteins along with dairy products such as geek yogurt and cottage cheese – plus nutritional yeast. And I like milk in my coffee.
Animal agriculture has a lot of benefits to the land, it keeps it working, undeveloped and returns valuable manure to the land. But just because there is benefits to eating animal products doesn’t mean your diet should be dominated by it – rather it should be a portion along side a much larger plate of vegetables and fruits.
Truth is that I am not as certain as I might be about getting a HD pickup truck. But I think the half-ton trucks right now are such crap with the EPA fuel economy regulations with their thin oils and blown turbo-charged engines. It just seems like both GM and Ford half tons are complete crap these days, and even Toyota Tundras are having issues. Even the compact trucks are pretty bad, Toyota Tacomas included have reliability issues, but maybe not that bad. The Godzilla is a very reliable engine, but there are still people who have issues with it and even more so with older versions of the 10R100 or 10R140 tranny. If I had to get a non-HD truck I am pretty sure I would go with a Tacoma. My neighbor has a Taco truck, he apparently likes it, he got a new one when wrecked the one he was driving.
I think a lot about fuel economy and ease of driving in the city, though that is not why I am buying a truck. I’d rather have a vehicle that is difficult to drive in the city, so I can park on the outskirts of the city and take the bus or bike where I need to go. And there is the issue of smaller campsites, though an HD truck ain’t going to be that much bigger then my old lifted Silverado half ton. For a recreational vehicle, who cares if it costs a bit more to fuel up – the past years I’ve been averaging only about 6,000-7,000 miles primarily recreationally, with winters racking up less then 200 miles some months.
But the bigger problem I have Taco trucks – besides my ego and my broke penis – is they are just too damn small for a week plus worth of camping gear. I’ve just acquired a lot of crap that I use and set up at camp. It’s a lot of food, tarps, gear, heaters, tables, etc. that I bring to camp. I guess I could get rid of some of my stuff, camp more minimally, but that sucks. If anything, I want to add more gear for winter and late autumn camping, like the diesel heater. With the enhanced battery and solar set up, and bigger alternator of SuperDuty, I should be able to pack enough gear to head out to wilderness for a week or more without ever going to town. But if I go the Taco truck route, I was considering getting a utility trailer, to tow behind for all that gear, I can’t fit in the small cap. Then, it doesn’t improve fuel economy or maneuverability over a SuperDuty. Add in the cost of utility trailer and the Taco truck doesn’t actually save money.
I was thinking about ways to become more confident about making a good decision. Mostly about my next truck, but also about so many other things in life. There are many options out there in life, and I thought it would be interesting to see the Internet consensus using Google AI.
Building confidence in decision-making is less about being “right” and more about trusting your process and your ability to handle any outcome.
1. Strategic Frameworks to Reduce Uncertainty
Using a structured approach removes the “guesswork” and replaces it with logic.
The 10-10-10 Rule: Ask how you will feel about the decision in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years. This helps put short-term anxiety into long-term perspective.
Weighted Decision Matrix: List your options against key criteria (e.g., cost, time, happiness) and score them from 1–10 based on importance.
The “Premortem”: Imagine the decision has failed. Work backward to determine why it might have happened and address those risks now.
Limit Your Choices: Having too many options leads to analysis paralysis. Narrow your selection to the top 2 or 3 choices to make the final call easier.
2. Practical Habits for “Decision Strength”
Confidence is a “muscle” that grows with repeated, intentional use.
Start Small & Scaffold: Practice being decisive with low-stakes choices—like where to eat or what to wear—to build comfort before tackling life-altering decisions.
Set Firm Deadlines: Indecision often breeds more anxiety. Give yourself a strict time limit for a decision; for minor ones, try a 2-minute rule.
The “Coin Toss” Trick: Flip a coin to decide between two equal options. While it’s in the air, notice which side you are hoping it lands on—that is your true preference.
3. Mindset Shifts for Self-Trust
Align with Core Values: When you know your “why,” decisions become clearer. Ask, “Does this choice align with the person I want to be?”.
Embrace “Good Enough”: Perfectionism is the enemy of confidence. Accept that many decisions have no “perfect” answer, only the best one available at the time.
Separate Worth from Outcome: A “bad” result doesn’t mean you made a “bad” decision based on the information you had then. View outcomes as data for the next choice rather than a reflection of your intelligence.
Listen to Physical Cues: Pay attention to your “gut.” If an option makes your chest tighten, it might be a signal to pause; if it feels “light,” it may be the right path.
4. Managing External Factors
Curate Advice Carefully: Asking too many people leads to conflicting opinions that drown out your own voice. Consult 1–2 trusted, impartial sources instead of holding a “poll”.
Avoid “Decision Fatigue”: Your ability to make sound choices depletes throughout the day. Make your most important decisions in the morning or after a break.
I have never used GNU Parallel before, always using the much more standard xargs. Both programs are pretty similar, though GNU Parallel is not installed by default on most machines. Google AI suggested it with some code I was writing, os I asked why I might choose GNU Parallel over xargs.
While both tools execute commands from standard input, xargs is a lightweight POSIX standard utility for basic task distribution, whereas GNU Parallel is a feature-rich Perl-based powerhouse designed for complex workflows and safety.
Feature
xargs
GNU Parallel
Availability
Built-in on almost all Unix-like systems.
Usually requires separate installation (sudo apt install parallel).
Parallelism
Uses -P (e.g., xargs -P 4) to run a specific number of processes.
Automatically defaults to 1 job per CPU core.
Output Handling
Can interleave output (mix lines from different jobs), making it messy.
Groups output per job by default, ensuring lines from different tasks don’t mix.
Execution Speed
Extremely low overhead (~0.3ms per job).
Higher overhead (~3-10ms per job) due to Perl.
Special Characters
Struggles with spaces/quotes unless using -0 with NUL-separated input.
Handles spaces, quotes, and newlines in filenames safely by default.
Remote Execution
Local only.
Can distribute jobs to remote servers via SSH.
Use xargs if:
You are on a restricted environment (like a minimal server or embedded system) where you can’t install new software.
You have millions of tiny jobs that finish in milliseconds where GNU Parallel’s overhead would slow you down.
You just need a quick, simple one-liner for basic file manipulation.
Use GNU Parallel if:
You care about the order of output (use --keep-order).
You need to run jobs across multiple machines.
You are dealing with complex arguments (e.g., stripping file extensions, creating subdirectories).
You want safety—it prevents different processes from “clobbering” each other’s output.
So I am told, but I also keep humming to myself the financial marketers slogan, “Don’t you want a 20-year old Honda Civic, they’re so frugal and efficent way to get to the shopping maul and suburban office complex.” Professionals don’t ride their mountain bike or take the city bus to workor spend their weekends in wilderness smoking grass watching plastic bottles illegal melt and burn up. Fuck recycling. And people wonder why I am so damn paranoid.
I think this morning will be a busing and shuttling it work today, 🌧️ as heavy rain or maybe they’re talking snow and ice this afternoon. I was hoping for a good soaker of rain to wash a lot of snow off the bike path, so I could be using it both ways to work. I think it’s been since January the last time I rode the bike path to work, the snow and ice have kept me off it, as I don’t want ot pound the bike wheels and break a shit ton of spokes, 🚲 yeah and not have any way to get around. Speaking of fucking recycling, I can probably stick that milk bottle in recycle bin ♻️ at Capitol, a good place to get rid of your trash, you know with the burn ban and everything.
Sigh, it’s nice having my phone back, 📱 after Mom and Dad swung by yesterday and dropped it off. It really sucked on Monday evening and Tuesday not having a phone – I didn’t have a clock, much less a radio, and all my books and movies are on my phone. 🔇 Though I did kind of actually enjoy the quiet yesterday at home, though it was nice to be able to climb under the covers with the books on my phone, and continue to read that book about National Forests – Our National Forests byGreg Peters, 📙 and more videos about buying ginormous pickup trucks 🤝 and getting a good out the door price. I plugged in the heated blanket to the Kill-a-Watt meter, at least last night which wasn’t too cold I ended up using almost exactly a 1/3 kWh. I guess it is more expensive to operate then I expected, but whatever I don’t have a gas bill yet ⛽, as the Godzilla Holstein truck is still a twinkle in my eyes. ✨
Rode in both ways and it was fine, 🚴 though I really do not like riding Second Avenue, especially the left turn from Second Avenue to Delaware. 🚦 I might try Second Avenue to South Bertha to McAlpin, as that left is much easier at rush hour. It just seems to be kind of dangerous to be out in the middle of an intersection to make a left as cars weave around you. Honestly, I want the bike trail to be open, it will make riding so much easier. Maybe the rain today will do it, though the snow melting power of the rain won’t be great if the rain is only a few degrees above freezing, and they’re talking about more snow and ice ❄️ this weekend. Complete horse crap. 🐴 I saw a couple of real nice SuperDuty trucks riding up Second Avenue yesterday, and no paying bus fares.
I was pissed to learn that my CDTA Bus Pass will expire on April 3rd, 💳 and I’m required to pay $2 to get a new card, or use the CDTA app. But I don’t necessarily trust my phone will work the app or my battery could be dead or the phone misplaced. So I guess I’ll get a new card, but I don’t see the point in getting the new card, when my old one works perfectly fine. Apparently they force people to buy a new one every 10 years, to make sure the cards still work, though they are RFID cards so if they aren’t damaged, I don’t see why they would stop working. Probably a revenue thing, though can’t be that profitable. They say you can order a new online, and they’ll transfer your balance over, or get a new one at many different retailers including the Empire Plaza Gift center. It’s obnoxious, I can probably use my phone and CDTA app in the mean time, but I still prefer the ease of just slapping my wallet on the card reader and being on my way. I just fucking hate how the authority is stealing my money for their public corporation profits and to make more garbage.
I was going to call today 📞 about making an appointment to look at a few SuperDuty trucks I was interested in 🛻, but first without my phone yesterday and now with the snow and ice coming today, and probably not well cleared up tomorrow maybe I’ll wait until Monday. It’s a session day, but if I make the appointment first thing, and emphasize I only have an hour, I could do it first thing in morning. But then I was thinking the following Monday, March 2nd isn’t a session day, so that wouldn’t be an issue with work. 🖥️ But what do I care, I work with computers not members, so I could do either week. Mondays are better at dealerships if you want less crowds,. March 2nd might be better though, as they’ll be able to include the Manufacturers Incentives that are announced on March 1st for the month, so I’ll have a better idea of what the Out the Door Price will be when I buy later in the month.
Maybe it’s all the prep work and research I’ve done, 🤓 in my battle against the dealerships, but I am so worried about the fight and losing, not getting the truck I actually want and paying a lot more then I should. And I don’t want to hear from dealerships, “See What Your Really Want Is… Is an F-150 or a Maverick”, no shit sparky, if I didn’t want a fucking F-350 I wouldn’t be at your dealership. And I know many of the different psychological tricks and money tricks they use to get you to pay more. Those trucks are flying off the lots, and there is only one, don’t you know, even though that truck has flat tires, rust spots and dead battery as it’s been rotting on your lot since last September. On the Ford website, I did a dealership search, and found I think 95 Ford dealerships within 100 miles, and there is a shit ton of Godzilla trucks with XL trim rotting on the lot, as people either want the cheapest XL truck or a diesel. The XL Off Road package is less common, though STX and FX4 is more common. I’m leaning towards the later, as the STX makes the basic trucks look a lot prettier, and while you don’t get bigger tires or breathing tubes for deep water forging (which I wouldn’t do on a $60k SuperDuty), you can always add them later. I want the skid plates though for getting in out of challenging campsites, and especially blasting through snow banks and snow if I winter camp, without high centering the truck.
Truth is I just want the truck that I want, 💰 and yeah it cost money that will no longer be in my account once it’s spent, it will provide many years of good adventures, as the Godzilla while fuel hungry, is one a damn good motor based on how widely it’s used commercially, idled all day, even if some do fail but at lower rates then the blown, I mean turbocharged engines in passengers cars. And it uses 5W-30 oil. See that’s my excuse for buying at truck I’m titling the Godzilla Holstein. 🐲 And what is it but 6-months of paper capital gains, and it will be a lot of fun. But don’t you want a plastic house that smells like cow shit? 🐮 Maybe if it includes a burn barrel where I don’t have to recycle plastic, no electric utility or trash bill and cows or goats. 🐐
Pinto beans are cooking down on the stove, and I’ll get in the shower and catch the yokel local bus to work, it’s so local and stops every five feet. But I have my phone, so I can listen to tunes, do some reading or watch a video, then make the mad dash to the shuttle bus and rocket my way over the Starship for another day in front of computer, fixing people’s accounts on the VAN and creating IOI Codes and signing off on shit. Look out at the old city garbage dump, and the Water Department’s big blue SuperDuty trucks as they drive by. Make it through another day, walk laps in the Empire Plaza get yelled at by the homeless bums, come home and fry up some of those pinto beans with onions, and hide out under the heated blanket with dreams of soon enough camping in the bed of the SuperDuty with a cap, listening to music, having fires and making a little black smoke as I listen to shitty ol’ country music and maybe have toke. But first I am making due with the coffee I’m grinding in the food processor (I got beans not ground coffee this week), and apple pancakes, which are always good, especially the smell of the apples as I shred them in the morning, with lots of carrots, stevia , cinamon and ginger. Good stuff.
stove, and I’ll get in the shower and catch the yokel local bus to work, it’s so local and stops every five feet. But I have my phone, so I can listen to tunes, 
do some reading or watch a video, then make the mad dash to the shuttle bus 
and rocket my way over the Starship for another day in front of computer, 
fixing people’s accounts on the VAN and creating IOI Codes and signing off on shit. Look out at the old city garbage dump, and the Water Department’s big blue SuperDuty trucks as they drive by. Make it through another day, walk laps in the Empire Plaza 
get yelled at by the homeless bums, come home and fry up some of those pinto beans with onions, 
and hide out under the heated blanket 
with dreams of soon enough camping in the bed of the SuperDuty with a cap, listening to music, having fires 
and making a little black smoke as I listen to shitty ol’ country music 
and maybe have toke. 
But first I am making due with the coffee I’m grinding in the food processor (I got beans not ground coffee this week), and apple pancakes, 
which are always good, especially the smell of the apples as I shred them in the morning, with lots of carrots, 
stevia 
, cinamon and ginger. Good stuff. 
